Foster & Dobbs

Nice cheese, sandwich, wine and specialty grocery store. They pack the space with a deceptively large selection of wine.
I was hankering for a good sandwich, and went with the Mole Salame, which includes cheddar, salami, tomato chili jam and greens. The sandwich was tasty, but I had a bit of sticker shock at paying $ 9 for a small sandwich. I know, I know, it’s quality, but still, this is Portland, not SF.

OMG Amazing food, service, & selection!
Here is how these folks took care of me Christmas Eve day.
Walked here through 4 rainy, cold blocks with my heart set on a Beet Salad. Joke on me at the time because, they did not have a Beet Salad on the menu. Lol! Once this dilemma was discovered and realized on my part I was at a huge loss what to do. HOWEVER, they did know.
This Amazing Kitchen Crew made me a gorgeous Beet Salad… on the spot… no questions asked! Beautifully prepared in minutes… full flavors of tart, zingy and sweet beets bedded on lush, fresh greens tastefully oiled. Heaven help me it was my best Gift of the year, and now I will see these folks everytime I visit Portland. Thanks Foster & Dobbs!

I have celiacs and usually can’t eat outside of my own kitchen. I can get incredibly sick from even microscopic cross-​contamination from gluten ingredients in commercial kitchens. This makes me sad.
Michael at Foster and Dobbs not only knew what celiacs was but went above and beyond to keep me safe and make me feel welcome. This is not always the case for a highly sensitive person trying to eat out. I’m am so appreciative. Go Michael!!!

I recently visited Foster & Dobbs and had purchased some local cheeses. Which were great. As I looked over the menu for the sandwich menu, I ordered the roast beast… which was FRIGGIN HUGE!!! It was good and I decided to have a beer with my meal, which was perfect for the weather. Little did I know that the person who helped me was the owner, Kevin. Great place and good food. Love the atmosphere that allows for a low key laid back environment that hits close to home. Go go go — to F&D!

Every time I have stopped at this deli to obtain a banh mi sandwich, they are out of the main ingredient, country pork pâté. Today was no exception to my past experience so I substituted turkey. The baguette the sandwich was served on was so stale or exposed to air too long that it was hard to bite through. We ended up eating the sandwiches open face just as observed at the next table as they too were struggling biting through the bread. Next time I have a banh mi craving, I’ll head to another Foster, and eat at An Xuyen.
Words of caution: stay out of the restroom if a filthy toilet does a number to your appetite. I wanted to wash my hands before eating but I wish I had just used a hand sanitizer in my bag.

fantastic place. great staff and a great owner. Great service and always a good selection of wine.

Great local neighborhood wine and specialty shop. Very knowledgeable and helpful staff. Wide variety if specialty meats, cheeses, jams, sandwiches, wines and local items. Great Friday wine tastings!

I live just down the street and sadly, yesterday was my first time! BUT, better late than never!
Craving wine and cheese on the first «hot» day this year, I was happy to find that they had a patio that was getting some good sunshine even as late in the day as it was. Score!
Picked out an easy sparking wine and ordered the cheese monger plate (how did they know my name and that i was coming?!).
The guy manning the counter (don’t know his name, but he was rocking a top knot, glasses and a killer personality) was excellent. Knowing what we were going to be drinking, he paired a fabulous assortment of cheese, meat and bread, but only after coming outside to ask us if there were any «no-​no» cheeses, and in this case, yes, there is a blue cheese allergy. Well played sir.
The items provided were delicious AND after all the bread had been devoured (what? I like carbs…) he so kindly brought us more! A lot more!
It’s the small things that are most appreciated and the wonderful, detailed and friendly service as well as the awesome assortment of wines and cheeses will keep us coming back again and again!

I come for cheese, I come for water avenue coffee, I come for sandwiches, I come for wine, I come for gifts, I come for fancy chocolate and sweets, I come for cocktail-​makings, I come for free samples of all of the above, and I always leave happy. Always.
If that’s not 5 stars, I’m not sure what is.

The Carnegie: Toated rye, pastrami, Gruyère, fallot dijon and pickle-​soooo good-​perfect place with a glass of wine on any day. Incredible selection of «food accessories», meats, cheese, honey, chocolate, salts, bitters-​a great place to let your inner foodie savor the moment and take aways-​one of my favorite places on a lazy Saturday

Foster & Dobbs is simply a great neighborhood meeting place.
Friday night wine tastings, to everyday great coffee and sandwiches, (I love the Spicy Italian) the quality is fantastic!
Best of all is how friendly and educated they are in putting together an appetizer plate of cheeses, meats and wines. I know what I like, but couldn’t tell you which cheese is which or what pairs with what. They always listen to what I am looking for and set me up with a tasty assortment. Friendly staff and cool atmosphere. I highly recommend!

Thank you for your reply. I would have really welcomed that info as I had cut away three large areas and now to realize that I hadn’t needed to do that is a bummer.

I preface this with that I live very close by, so the convenience factor is worth a lot. Such great sandwiches, always something new and delicious. Never had a miss so far, the baguette is perfect with just enough of all of the toppings to make it great. Balanced and delicious.
They also have a great selection of cocktail fixers, olives, pantry essentials and wine. So either the key ingredients for a meal at home or a wonderful lunch or snack out.

Foster and Dobbs is a real Northeast gem. The hospitable staff offer great suggestions that won’t break the bank. Friday wine tastings feature nice varieties of wines and a friendly crowd to boot. Really tasty desserts, sandwiches, salads (the caprese has been excellent on multiple occasions), and soups. There are usually two solid beers on tap as well. The owner is around a lot and is a really nice guy who chats with a lot of customers. The location is beautiful — the shop is situated in the heart of the historic Irvington neighborhood (not a bad place to go for a stroll after a meal and check out all the beautiful homes).
F&D is an awesome place to come hang out with friends on a summer afternoon, or inside on a cooler day. Make sure you come check this place out — you’ll be glad you did!

One of the best kept secrets in Portland. This tucked away sandwich shop offers soooo much more. From amazing wines (at all price ranges) to tasty meats and cheeses you won’t be left wanting. (They also have a fine selection of cookies.) The newly added salad selection is a welcome addition to those with gluten-​free allergies.
I have to say I have never felt so welcome or comfortable in a shop. The staff makes everyone feel at home.
Stop by with friends and open a bottle of wine, ask your fine server to surprise you with a selection of meats and cheeses, (followed by some cookies) and relax. Definitely a MUST destination.

It’s been 3 years since I was last at Foster & Dobbs, and it’s changed, and not for the better. It used to be a cheese shop; now it’s mostly a sandwich shop and wine bar. The cheese selection is small and very expensive (nothing under $ 25/​lbs), and the staff don’t know anything about the cheeses. Service was lacksidasical overall; the woman who was helping us with cheese went on break without saying anything when we went to grab pasta and never came back. We spent 10 minutes waiting for her before it became clear we needed to talk to the other staff member.
It might be a better place if you’re there for the sandwiches, or for drinks on the patio. As a cheese/​gourmet shop, though, it’s strictly mediocre
UPDATE: Just so folks know, Kevin the owner contacted me to get specifics about the service issue I reported here. So he’s concerned.

As much as I love this place it has gone severely downhill since it was sold. It’s the new staff that is going to hurt this business. The people making sandwiches are too busy talking to each other, or friends that stop by, to actually help customers. Literally STOPPED in the middle of making an order to talk. Learn to talk and work dude. Seriously. Timely fashion apparently is a lost concept. I come in here once a week and it’s the same story. Every. Time. I am not greeted when I walk in, like I used to be. Today was probably my last visit here. It’s a sad day…

Stopped in here to get a quick lunch before an appointment. Albacore salad on spinach leaves was insanely good. An excellent portion for $ 8, not too crazy given that this place is on the pricier side. But it’s a lovely spot to sit, relax, sip, slurp, chomp, and browse.
You can tell the owner has done a lot of work to carry excellent, local when possible products. The deli/​charcuterie case is excellent, the space is open, light, beautiful.
New fave.

What a fantastic neighborhood watering hole! (Jesus turned water into wine so calling it a watering hole isn’t that far of a stretch). It’s a wine shop slash restaurant slash tasting room.
Tonight, 6 of us came down for their free Friday night tasting. After 5 delicious roses and reds, we ordered snacks and more wine.
The shop has modern class and a huge array of deli meats, cheeses, wines and specialty snack items (donuts, cookies, candies, nuts etc). Oddly, seeing all those lovely gourmet cheeses, we got on the subject of the Last Supper. Not the biblical one; a hypothetical last meal. As in death row. Yeah, only I would steer the conversation there, but I seriously would pick some of their meats, cheeses and a bottle of their wine for my last meal. My happiness comes down to family, friends and then a really good sharp cheese and a buttery, oakey, spicy red wine. The latter 2 items can be found here at Foster & Dobbs.

Love this place. Expensive, but if you focus on just a few key items that you’ll use, it’s worth it. if you blow your cash on an $ 8 chocolate bar, notsomuch. I had a pretty tasty salami sandwich but will say they could do better on the bread — it was fairly dried up, but the innards were deee-​licious.
One note — I’ve rarely bought from them because when I walk in the door, no one says anything to you even though they’re usually just standing there, sometimes even just talking to one another. The girl behind the counter was friendly once I approached her, and I was thanked by another as I left. but it would be nice to come in and get that greeting so you know they appreciate your coming in.